Bellator's Hold Up at HW?

[NHB7]

They stripped HW champ last year. Good. So I was looking up when they'd have a fight for the vacant title. I found an article from 2016 that said it would be scheduled in the first half of 2017. Then I found an article that said, before the end of 2017. So then I looked up all scheduled fights so far before the end of the year. And thus far, there is only one HW fight scheduled (Nelson's Debut), and it's not for a title.

What's the hold up? I can name a few HWs that would make for a reasonable title fight. Can we get this started already?

 

[potemkin723]

Meathead just KO Fedor.
Javy Ayala?
King Mo?
Kongo?
Newly sign Frank Mir?
How about free agent Rozalski?

 

[Meathead Jock]

Its hard for me to figure out too....

Maybe they think the raise in salary that comes from crowning the already highest paid weightclass fighters on the roster isn't worth it?

With heavyweights they have their fanbase and don't need a belt to develop interest from the fans.

Considering they've lost Konrad and Minakov (basically) after they won the belt they must think its not worthwhile or it would have happened by now.

 

[qw3rty]

Coker had said (months ago) they were going to do a tournament for this
I won't believe it until it is officialized

 

[skylolow]

Its hard for me to figure out too....

Maybe they think the raise in salary that comes from crowning the already highest paid weightclass fighters on the roster isn't worth it?

With heavyweights they have their fanbase and don't need a belt to develop interest from the fans.

Considering they've lost Konrad and Minakov (basically) after they won the belt they must think its not worthwhile or it would have happened by now.

I think there could be a case to be made for this theory.

 

[Franklin U.]

Lol- Gegard 3 weight champ....

 

[InfinityLens]

Mir v Kongo for the strap!

 

[VulcanNervPinch]

Who knows.
I've given up trying to comprehend their handling of HW.
Caring just makes to want to smash things.

 

[Kinger85]

every organization has problems with their Heavyweight Divisions.

 

[dog y]

Just get Mousasi in there vs anyone ffs

 

[HaulParris]

Coker had said (months ago) they were going to do a tournament for this
I won't believe it until it is officialized

As cool as it was when it was announced, Strikeforce's HW tourney was ultimately its undoing. Bloated salaries, Werdum buttscoot, stretching the whole thing over a year and a half - by the end, Dana bought the bankrupt scraps of his former rival, and an unheralded alternate won the whole thing.

Hopefully Coker learns from his mistakes, and doesn't run Bellator into the ground by doing the same things wrong again.

 

[TheBrownRanger]

As cool as it was when it was announced, Strikeforce's HW tourney was ultimately its undoing. Bloated salaries, Werdum buttscoot, stretching the whole thing over a year and a half - by the end, Dana bought the bankrupt scraps of his former rival, and an unheralded alternate won the whole thing.

Hopefully Coker learns from his mistakes, and doesn't run Bellator into the ground by doing the same things wrong again.

8 man tournaments are very hard to pull off in MMA. Safer gameplans and injuries can suck the hype out of a tournament. The number of competitors drastically increases the chance of injury.

A 4 man is the best way to go.